Windsor Hall

Picture
AI-generated interpretation of what Windsor Hall may have looked like in the early 1800s.
Historical Overview
A 2-story brick inn with gable roof, chimneys on each end, and 5-bay front facade once stood at the intersection of Route 1 and Quakerbridge Road many generations ago.[1] This building, called "Windsor Hall," was erected, probably by the early 1800s, by Doctor Israel Clarke - presumably the person after whom the historic West Windsor/Lawrence community of Clarksville was named.[2] It soon became a central fixture of Clarksville.

Israel Clarke was the descendent of Benjamin Clarke,[3] who had purchased over 1,200 acres overlapping present-day West Windsor and Princeton in 1696[4] and helped found the Princeton community of Stony Brook shortly thereafter.[5] Israel, meanwhile, was a well-known physician who maintained a practice in Clarksville, where he owned several hundred acres. According to the 1883 publication, History of Burlington and Mercer Counties, by Major E. M. Woodward and John F. Hageman, "As a physician he was quite celebrated in the counties adjoining his extensive practice. He was full of humor, and had a day in the week fixed for office business, when great crowds flocked to consult him."[6] 

In 1905, a Clarksville resident named Joseph H. West added to this image: "Dr. Clarke generally traveled on horseback, having big saddle bags in which to carry the bulky medicines of that day. He was of a very jolly disposition, indulged in strong drink to some extent, as did almost everybody at that time, and was very empathetic in expressing himself, sometimes mixing his talk with a little profanity."[7]
 PictureClarksville, 1860. Notice the "Hotel" in the center.
Israel presumably constructed his inn to take advantage of stagecoach traffic. So, too, did the builders of an even older hotel on the opposite side of Route 1, but that establishment disappeared by the mid-1800s.[8] It's unknown if Israel ever managed his hotel, which was in its early years known as "Windsor Hall," but the following individuals are recorded as innkeepers:
  • 1808-1809: Thomas Combs.[9],[10]
  • 1810: James Drake.[11]
  • 1811: Samuel Brearly.[12]
  • 1812-1813: Andrew McGalliard.[13],[14]
  • 1815: Elias Howell.[15]
  • 1822: Lewis Perine.[16]
  • 1824: Frederick Hawk.[16]
  • 1825-1833: Margaret Jackson.[17],[18]
  • 1834: William Webster.[19]
​Israel Clarke passed away in 1837.[20] The next year, the inn was operated by "Major" John Stevens,[21] reputedly Israel's brother-in-law,[22] and hosted the first Mercer County Whig convention.[23] Stevens operated the inn until at least 1841 when it was put up for sale, alongside outbuildings, a garden, and a 4-acre apple orchard.[24]
 PictureClarksville, 1905. Notice "C. H. Brady" and his hotel in the center.
However, the inn did not leave Clarke family hands until 1847, when it was purchased by William A. Forman.[25] At this time, it was managed by Samuel Smith and still hosted Whig conventions.[26] Joseph Taylor is also said to have rented the inn before this.[27]

In 1864, Windsor Hall was sold to William West.[28] According to a newspaper from 1910, "Mr. West was there more than forty years and was a popular landlord. He was a horse fancier and many bareback trials of speed took place under his auspices over the broad pike."[29] He frequently hosted Township Committee meetings here from the 1870s-1890s.[30]

In 1904, the old inn was purchased by Charles H. Brady from Selina West, neice-in-law of William West via his nephew, Charles.[31] Six years later, although over a century old, the inn, still in operation was still described as "a very substantially built house and will easily last another century ... Unlike most of the old wayside inns, this house remains the same and presents the same appearance as when built."[32]

The inn operated until at least 1917.[33] However, by the mid-1930s (if not earlier), it had burned down.[34] However, its original owner remains memorialized in old documents and in the naming of Clarksville Road.
 PictureThe same intersection as the two maps above, but in 2022.
Bibliography
  1. "Old Landmarks Around Town -- No. 33." Trenton Sunday Advertiser. February 13, 1910.
  2. Drake, James. Ms. Petition of James Drake. West Windsor, 1810. Petition for Tavern License, 1810. Found in New Jersey State Archives Manuscript Room - Middlesex County Tavern Licenses, 1758-1826.​
  3. Woodward, Evan Morrison, and John Frelinghuysen Hageman. History of Burlington and Mercer Counties with Biographical Sketches of Many of Their Pioneers and Prominent Men. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Everts & Peck, 1883.​
  4. Warne, Thomas, and Benjamin Clarke. Ms. New Jersey State Archives, 1696. Deed - October 26, 1696 - Thomas Warne to Benjamin Clarke. Found in New Jersey State Archives, Middlesex County Deeds, F (E): Folio 76 (SSTSE023)
  5. “Early Stony Brook.” Green Oval Tour: A Snapshot of 18th Century Princeton. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://princetonhistory.org/green-oval-tour/early-stony-brook.html. 
  6. Woodward, Evan Morrison, and John Frelinghuysen Hageman. History of Burlington and Mercer Counties with Biographical Sketches of Many of Their Pioneers and Prominent Men. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Everts & Peck, 1883.
  7. "Mercer County Sketches - Dr. Clarke's Old Mansion, With Anecdotes of the Doctor." Trenton Sunday-Advertiser. July 6, 1902.
  8. Woodward, Evan Morrison, and John Frelinghuysen Hageman. History of Burlington and Mercer Counties with Biographical Sketches of Many of Their Pioneers and Prominent Men. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Everts & Peck, 1883.
  9. Combs, Thomas. Ms. Petition of Thomas Combs. West Windsor, 1808. Petition for Tavern License, 1808. Found in New Jersey State Archives Manuscript Room - Middlesex County Tavern Licenses, 1758-1826.
  10. Combs, Thomas. Ms. Petition of Thomas Combs. West Windsor, 1809. Petition for Tavern License, 1809. Found in New Jersey State Archives Manuscript Room - Middlesex County Tavern Licenses, 1758-1826.
  11. Drake, James. Ms. Petition of James Drake. West Windsor, 1810. Petition for Tavern License, 1810. Found in New Jersey State Archives Manuscript Room - Middlesex County Tavern Licenses, 1758-1826.
  12. Brearly, Samuel. Ms. Petition of Samuel Brearly. West Windsor, 1811. Petition for Tavern License, 1811. Found in New Jersey State Archives Manuscript Room - Middlesex County Tavern Licenses, 1758-1826.
  13. McGalliard, Andrew. Ms. Petition of Andrew McGalliard. West Windsor, 1812. Petition for Tavern License, 1812. Found in New Jersey State Archives Manuscript Room - Middlesex County Tavern Licenses, 1758-1826.
  14. McGalliard, Andrew. Ms. Petition of Andrew McGalliard. West Windsor, 1813. Petition for Tavern License, 1813. Found in New Jersey State Archives Manuscript Room - Middlesex County Tavern Licenses, 1758-1826.
  15. Howell, Elias. Ms. Petition of Elias Howell. West Windsor, 1815. Petition for Tavern License, 1815. Found in New Jersey State Archives Manuscript Room - Middlesex County Tavern Licenses, 1758-1826.
  16. Perine, Lewis. Ms. Petition of Lewis Perine. West Windsor, 1822. Petition for Tavern License, 1822. Found in New Jersey State Archives Manuscript Room - Middlesex County Tavern Licenses, 1758-1826.
  17. Jackson, Margaret. Ms. Petition of Margaret Jackson. West Windsor, 1825. Petition for Tavern License, 1825. Found in New Jersey State Archives Manuscript Room - Middlesex County Tavern Licenses, 1758-1826.
  18. Joseph DeCou, Jr. "Public Sale." Emporium and True American. August 24, 1833.
  19. William Webster Mershon & John S. Van Dyke. "Tallyho." Emporium and True American. May 10, 1834.
  20. "Died." Newark Daily Advertiser. May 30, 1837.
  21. Major Stevens. "Military Notice." Trenton Sunday Advertiser, July 20, 1838.
  22. "Old Landmarks Around Town -- No. 33." Trenton Sunday Advertiser. February 13, 1910.
  23. "The Mercer County Convention is to be held at Major Stevens' Hotel, Clarksville, on Monday the 24th inst., to select a ticket". Newark Daily Advertiser. September 8, 1838.
  24. Josiah S. Worth, Charles Parker, & Charles S. Olden, Commissioners of Israel Clarke. “Commissioners’ Sale of Real Estate.” Emporium and True American, October 1, 1841. 
  25. Clarke, Edward S., Forman, William A. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1847. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book M Page 114.
  26. “West Windsor Whig Meeting.” Trenton State Gazette, October 21, 1847. 
  27. "Old Landmarks Around Town -- No. 33." Trenton Sunday Advertiser. February 13, 1910.
  28. Forman, David G., Forman, Lewis, West, William. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1864. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 58 Page 571.
  29. "Old Landmarks Around Town -- No. 33." Trenton Sunday Advertiser. February 13, 1910.
  30. ​​“West Windsor Township Meeting Minutes, 1797-2012.,” n.d. Original Township Committee meeting minute database located in the Municipal Center.
  31. Brady, Charles H., West, Selina. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1904. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 273 Page 321.
  32. "Old Landmarks Around Town -- No. 33." Trenton Sunday Advertiser. February 13, 1910.
Contact Info
Museum Address​ (DO NOT send mail here): 50 Southfield Road, West Windsor, NJ 08550
Send ALL Mail To: 331 North Post Road #774, West Windsor, NJ 08550
Email: [email protected] 
Phone: 609-751-4061
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EIN # 22-2459371

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